Structural and electrochromic properties of molybdenum doped vanadium pentoxide thin films by sol–gel and hydrothermal synthesis

• Published in: Thin solid films 2009-01, Vol.517 (6), p.2023-2028
• Main Authors: Jin, Aiping, Chen, Wen, Zhu, Quanyao, Yang, Ying, Volkov, V.L., Zakharova, G.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electrochromism; Hydrothermal synthesis; Molybdenum-doped vanadium pentoxide; Sol–gel; Thin films
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2008.10.001

Molybdenum-doped vanadium pentoxide (Mo-doped V 2O 5) thin films with doping levels of 3–10 mol% were prepared by dip-coating technique from a stable Mo-doped V 2O 5 sol synthesized by sol–gel and hydrothermal reaction. The Mo-doped V 2O 5 films had a layered V 2O 5 matrix structure along c-axis orientation with Mo 6+ as substitutes. Values of the inserted and extracted charge density of 21.4 and 21.3 mC·cm − 2 and the transmittance variation ( ΔT at 640 nm) between anodic (+ 1.0 V) and cathodic (− 1.0 V) colored states of 41% were observed for the films with 5 mol% Mo 6+ doping. Above this dopant concentration, the charge capacity and ΔT decreased. The enhancement of the electrochemical and electrochromic properties of the films is related to changes in the electronic properties of V 2O 5 films due to the creation of energy levels in the band gap of V 2O 5 by the Mo doping, accompanied by the reduction of the forbidden-band width and the increase of the conductivity.